The cause is two-fold, he said: the price of oil has fallen sharply recently due to over-production in Saudi Arabia and falling demand due to Europe’s economic slowdown is also a factor, said Verleger.

“Saudia Arabia really runs the oil market … and the Saudis right now have several reasons for essentially overproducing, or producing more than the market needs, and pushing prices down,” said Verleger in a recent interview on Bloomberg TV.

The Saudis want to keep oil prices down to put pressure on Iran and Russia, Verleger said. They are angry with Iran over its nuclear program, and upset with Russia over its military aid to the embattled Syrian government, he said.

Saudi Arabia also prizes its membership in the G20 group of nations, which met this week in Mexico, Verleger said.

“What they’re doing is essentially trying to give the world a help,” Verleger said.

Bruce Schneier’s a security specialist with his own Internet meme. And while most people believe that technology elevates, improves things, Schneier holds that technology magnifies, makes things bigger, good and…